


Who Won The War?

by BackwaterOtter



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Fun times inbound!, How do tags?, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Possession AU, Second fic oh god oh frick, Tags May Change, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24217390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BackwaterOtter/pseuds/BackwaterOtter
Summary: In a universe where Queen Vanessa is capable of possession, Hat Kid finds herself in a bit of trouble.This fic is post-main-game content, as well as post majority of DLC. This fic also assumes Hat Kid never read the storybooks from the time rifts.No update schedule for this one, though.
Relationships: Hat Kid & Snatcher (A Hat in Time)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 151





	1. Hat Kid

Hat Kid may have been a bit… Bored, to say the least. Things had begun to mellow out quite the bit for the adventurous young girl, which was quite funny, to say the least. She had the vast expanses of space to travel around, after all, and yet here she was, back by the weird planet (she knew its name was Prospit, “weird planet” had just caught on in her mind), kicking her feet up against the chair at the end of her bed as she absently replayed Corgi Quest 6: Remastered.

There was a lot she’d done upon her return, to be fair. She loved this planet and going back to help MU out a bit in her home town, stoking the flames of a much friendlier rivalry in Dead Bird Studio, discovering the Nyakuza Metro, and even the whole situation with the seals! Sure, they were fun, but they hadn’t been enough at the start.

Then Snatcher came along and started offering harder versions of challenges from her past. That’s where she’d hit the gold mine. Something difficult, but not too difficult, and it felt rather rewarding to get past each of the challenges. She loved looking back to him and sticking her tongue out whenever he tried to insult her, she was quite immune at this point!

Those had inevitably begun to slow down as well, however. Snatcher claimed that these Death Wish contracts were “hard to make” and that “he wouldn’t have this problem of needing to make more if she would just hand over her soul and die on one”. She was pretty sure he was always reading that book of his whenever she went down to Subcon, and Hat Kid had this sneaking suspicion that she was getting to be a bit too hard to scale difficulty for.

Their banter, however, was pretty reasonable when Snatcher was here. He’d never admit it, but he’d softened ever so slightly and seemed a bit more open to talking ever since she’d begun the Death Wish contracts. She never particularly let her knowledge of his past interfere either, it wasn’t like he needed to know that she knew, though that had left her with very few ways to actually find out. Listening to Snatcher at certain times would give an idea if he chose to jab at Hat Kid at the cost of his own self-deprecation, but it never really was enough, and surely there were other ways to find out more… 

No, she was not going to pry open that can of worms any further today, she had this... Frankly, quite a boring game to complete, after all. Her fingers absently flicked the controls, running through areas she knew like the back of her hand. Maybe she’d check in on everyone once she was done- no, most of them were busy today, and even Mustache Girl was still recovering after their last venture, so that wasn’t an option, and even Bow was off exploring another planet for the week...

Hat Kid was partially lost in thought, which didn’t help when she took note of Snatcher peering over her shoulder until he’d said “Hello!”, causing her to let out a little shriek of surprise, barely saving herself from tumbling off of the bed.

“Oh, did I scare you?” Spoke the specter, levering his arms on her bed so he could rest his face in his hands and give her a stupid smug look.

Hat Kid stuck her tongue out at him with a little “bleh!”, getting back up quickly to dust herself off with a smile on her face.

Snatcher squinted, shaking his head before appearing at his normal area for sitting in her room. Hat Kid knew what this meant, a smile crossing her face: something to do!

“I’ve got another few contracts for ya kiddo, sure to deal with you once and for all,” Snatcher spoke with a grin, his usual big book appearing in his lap.

Hat Kid adjusted her hat, saving and quitting the game and hurrying her way over. She watched as Snatcher pulled up each of them, little interesting things like getting certain time’s in Nyakuza Metro, or going hatless there, or other, similar challenges. There were a few more for Subcon as well, such as a challenge to get certain things from the swamp portion without touching the ground, or a round-trip through Subcon where she had to do the well, save the village, deliver mail AND defeat the outhouse again. There were a few candles as well, for finding some kinds of puzzle pieces scattered throughout Subcon, and getting to these various places in all regions while avoiding his traps. 

She pointed to the round-trip and the candles, a little smile on her face. Might as well get them over and done with.

“Alright, those are all ready for you, head out whenever you want.” Snatcher stated, looking back to his book.

Hat Kid gave him a little determined smile and a thumbs up in return, taking a peek through her telescope to make sure the area was clear for landing.

She waved to Snatcher, heading off to Subcon Forest once again.

* * *

Landing in Subcon, Hat Kid found that the trap candle was a bit more delicate than she’d expected. She had to keep her eyes out a bit more than she expected for canvas bags hidden by dirt and the small telltale sign of thorny vines. There were a lot of them out, some of them in stupid areas that almost got her, but not quite.

The puzzle pieces were another story entirely- incredibly easy, for the most part, but she knew she was missing two, and just couldn’t figure out where they were for the life of her. Additionally, she also had to busy herself with fixing the well once again and saving the village.

By the time she’d finished her main tasks, she still hadn’t found those last two pieces, and it frustrated her to no end. She finished her last task of the area- the fight with the outhouse- and still found nothing.

Taking one more look around the majority of Subcon Forest, she finally resigned to the fact that the last two pieces were in the frozen area of the place, which really only spelled trouble for her. 

Jumping across the gap in the bridge, she found herself in the usual cold region. Pulling her cape around herself, she began to make her way through, checking every nook and cranny before the manor, and finding one puzzle piece, the last one nowhere to be seen.

With a little irritated grumble, she made her way towards the manor, avoiding the creepy statues at the front and climbing onto the roof to check there. Only to find… Nothing on the outside. 

Hat Kid pouted, looking to the entrance to the cellar. She supposed this made sense, having to come back for a Death Wish at some point, but that didn’t make it any less bothersome.

Hopping down from the roof and catching herself with her umbrella, Hat Kid made her way inside the manor once again.

On the bright side, maybe she’d get to read those diary entries she’d ignored last time.

* * *

The place looked the same as it always did. The cellar smelled just as horrible as last time, and the chains that hung on the wall sent shivers down her spine, especially with the knowledge that someone had been hung there.

The doors were never locked after she left either, it seemed. The one leading upstairs wide open, even.

Tiptoeing her way up, she found that the house was unusually silent, with no shouts resonating from the home’s only living resident. It was, quite frankly, unnerving, though she supposed Snatcher may have pulled some strings to make this a little less than… Bad. Remove the risk of getting caught, maybe.

She squeaked as the trapdoor slammed shut, freezing up and awaiting the shouting and the Queen who’d frozen Subcon, but it never came. 

With a sigh of relief, she continued onwards.

The door leading upstairs from the dining room was shut, but not locked, pushed open with ease. Hat Kid began to make her way up, silent, but still relaxed. As she drew closer, she faintly heard the sound of running pipes- which she supposed were a minor relief. That’s why it was so quiet.

She tiptoed down the hall, frowning as she found the door to the attic locked, beginning her little search for the key. She started in the bedroom, a little frown on her face. The closet was still knocked over, very little had changed since she left. The diary was still there, though, and she made a note to grab that and the other notes she’d seen scattered about before she’d left.

She tried the nursery next, which turned up nothing, although she was pleasantly relieved to find the painting was blank, rather than containing her face. She stepped back into the hall, flinching as the floor creaked, although nothing came of it, luckily. The shower was still running, after all.

She began to make her way back down, cringing as the steps creaked, feeling a lot louder than before.

A squeak resounded from behind her- the shower being turned off. Hat Kid chose to jump down the remaining steps, going to hide behind the counter.

Soon enough her vision began to swim, the telltale sign the Vanessa was nearby. Hat Kid held her breath, her heart loud in her chest, too loud for her own taste.

The feeling passed, the door to the dining room closing.

Well, wasn’t that just great?

Getting up, Hat Kid readjusted her hat. Maybe she could take a look in the shower… Hopefully it would be there.

Tiptoeing her way over to the steps, she held her breath, taking them one at a time, as light as she could be.

Her heart practically stopped at the resounding creak of the fourth step. She was quite certain it actually had when she heard the cry of “WHO’S THERE!?” from the Queen.

A horrible feeling settled in Hat Kid’s gut as she ran the rest of the way up, taking the remaining steps in twos. The nauseating feeling of Vanessa drawing closer settling in her gut. Her vision was swimming again, and she only barely made it into the bathroom, closing the door quietly.

The feeling left, and she looked around once again, trying to ignore the writing on the mirror. No key.

With a sigh, she looked back to the door and stopped entirely. Red light shone under the door, a big indication that the Queen was nearby. There wasn’t anywhere to hide, save for…

Hat Kid withheld a sigh, ducking down in the tub right as she heard the little creak of the bathroom door opening. She held her breath, the aura that altered her vision and made her feel sick far stronger this close. It took everything in her power not to move an inch.

She thought she'd gotten lucky, hearing the footsteps begin to leave.

The glass that surrounded the tub shattered. Hat Kid’s nausea became an unbearable headache, noises that weren’t real ringing in her head. She felt as if she wasn’t there in the slightest, even as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

Over it all, Hat Kid could still hear the Queen speak in a little sing-song voice. _“I found you.”_

  
  
  


Hat Kid blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh ho ho, this is gonna be fun! :)
> 
> I'll post things about the au on backwaterotter.tumblr.com


	2. Void

Hat Kid felt primarily numb, vaguely aware of her own displacement. She felt as if she was falling through thick jelly, yet floating high above it all. A mixture of discomfort and disorientation settled in her gut.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, she recognized finally, and she had to practically force herself to open them. She was quite unhappy with what greeted her, however.

Upon opening her eyes, she noted the vast, blackened landscape she was suspended in. A pounding headache greeted her, as did stinging pain in various areas along her back and legs. Cold had settled into her right shoulder, and as she took stock of it, she noted that her breath was rather ragged, short and uneven, and the landscape wasn’t making it any better.

She didn’t particularly understand it, twisting about uncomfortably, trying to pick a direction to head in, but there wasn’t any point that helped her ground herself enough to do so. Up and down didn’t exist wherever she was, and it didn’t help her disorientation.

Her panic spiked, completely untamed as thoughts added to her headache. Memories of what had occurred trickled in, it must have happened only seconds prior, now that she thought of it. It felt that way. It could be longer, of course. In an attempt to tame her feelings, she looked to her wristwatch, holding it close to one ear and listening out for its usual ticks.

Silent.

Her panic grew, desperately smacking the old thing in hopes that it would begin again, her only solace inactive as ever. Wasn’t that just great?

She curled up where she was, trying to focus on breathing, but the air had grown cold and thick, and getting anything in left a burning feeling in her chest. Her surroundings- though there was nothing there- seemed to shift around her, moving while she remained static. Her vision double, dizziness tripled, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to ignore the feeling of stagnation while everything else moved.

As she ignored everything else, she felt something settle comfortably. Her eyes remained shut, even as the air grew frigid. She chose to sleep, in hopes that, in its own backward way, would wake her up.

* * *

Hat Kid did not open her eyes. She did not sit up, flexing her hands as she readjusted to the change in form. She didn’t inspect herself curiously for everything she could move. She didn’t twitch the little tail on the back of her head in her exploration, chuckling at the action.

She didn’t inhale and exhale, just to test that she could, eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. 

She didn’t get up, ignoring the way the glass rim of the shower cut into her hands as she stood, kicking up the pieces of glass that scattered the floor as she limped out. 

She didn’t acknowledge the absence of the Queen, as there was no need to. She didn’t bend over, grabbing the key and puzzle piece that were laying on the floor.

She didn’t stop to observe the red blood as it flowed from her hands, staining the remaining puzzle piece ever so slightly.

She didn’t smile, pocketing the materials and approaching the sink. She didn’t look in the mirror to observe the red glow of her eyes, almost laughing as she took stock of herself. So small.

She didn’t blink, the redness in her eyes fading away, replaced with a blue, with small specks of purple littered about them. She didn’t descend into laughter at the circumstance and how she’d make use of it. 

She didn’t check her form for anything else, finding the contract in the right pocket. She didn’t smile ever so slightly wider at the completion ticks, marking the last one off for the puzzle pieces in blood.

She didn’t wrap it back up, walking into the hallway. She didn’t turn to the attic door, unlocking it with the key, confidently walking up. 

She didn’t open the chest, observing the distinctly purple time piece inside. She didn’t grin as she set a hand on it, feeling a gentle tug. She didn’t get pulled along in the stream, returning to the ship as her watch responded to the piece.

Oh, she didn’t do any of it.

Queen Vanessa, however, did.

* * *

Snatcher was entirely uncertain regarding his foundation of concern. The kid was taking a lot longer to return than normal, although they had signed up for a lot. He knew they were fast, and often completed tasks a bit too quickly for his own taste. He’d suspected they’d be back in maybe half an hour from this one, but they were on the verge of double that.

He wouldn’t say he’s worried per say, just a little bored waiting here. He didn’t exactly have much else to do in Subcon at the moment, after all, having dealt with everything ahead of time, expecting to have his day practically filled with the kid pestering him for more.

He sighed, turning the page of his book. He’d go check once it hit the hour mark. The kid was probably fine.

Just as the hour mark hit, as he‘d put his book down and was stretching, there was the telltale _‘woosh’_ of Hat Kid arriving back. He shook his head, sitting back down as he waited for her to return to the room.

…

Well, the kid sure was taking their time. He supposed he didn’t mind, now that the kid was back in the first place, but now they were just wasting his time. He wouldn’t go seeking them out, but he did have a few choice words for whenever they entered.

He waited, a disgruntled look on his face.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

...They sure were taking their time.

Finally, a good 10 minutes after they’d arrived, Hat Kid had entered the room. He was all prepared to give them the talking of the lifetime, but he found himself silent, just observing the kid as they just limped to their bed from the door. They had plopped themselves down on the bed without a word. 

Sure, they were normally rather quiet, but after a deathwish? No jeering about how easy it must’ve been for them? They’d often do so despite what state they were in.

He set his book down, watching them carefully. 

“Welcome back, kiddo! Was it a little too hard for you this time? You practically wasted my day with how long you were gone!” Snatcher jeered, attempting to stoke a reaction, some little debate to get the kid to say something.

He was greeted with silence, not even a little flick of their ponytail in annoyance.

With a sigh, he chose to take his leave for now. He’d come back when they woke up, make sure everything was going swimmingly.

"Well, kid. If you're just going to ignore me, I'm going to leave. You know where to find me, kid." He spoke before disappearing.


	3. Containment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hat Kid makes a friend.

Hat Kid woke up once again. The aches of the time before she slept remained, but her nausea had long since gone. Her mind was… Clear, more or less. Her memories were fuzzy. She blinked exhaustion out of her eyes, taking a brief glance around her landscape.

The inky black was gone, replaced with a wooden floor and walls, as well as plenty of books and screens. The shelves extended up into oblivion, making up what appeared to be the hallways in a maze-like pattern.

The screens displayed some… Familiar events. Beating Mafia Boss, meeting Cooking Cat, her battle with DJ Grooves… She observed them silently, trying to decipher the meaning of this place from this alone.

After a few moments, she did get up however, approaching the nearest shelf, a curious expression on her face. She reached up, taking out one of the books, which lacked a cover and title, furrowing her eyebrows. This one was red, with little hints of blue and white stripes along the edges, a bit dusty. 

Opening the book lead to pages upon pages of her memories of one of the Death Wishes she’d gone through- the first, actually. She frowned, flipping through the pages. It was from her own point of view, and the pictures moved through what seemed to be scenes, similar to those on TV. Everything was there, though some of it was a little fuzzy, the less important details. Like the mafia guy in the background, who she could barely make out.

She set the book back in place, a general idea of where she was a bit clearer. Her own mind, it appeared- or her memories. Now, if only she knew what landed her here in the first place. She looked to the various shelves, uncertain. How would she even figure that out if nothing was labeled?

Her answer came in the shuffle of a nearby shelf. The whole thing creaked loudly, before shifting into the floor, lowering to a specific shelf space, and one of the books pushing out. How convenient!

She grabbed the book off the shelf, plopping down on the floor. This book was nearly pitch black, icy specks along its edges, rather pristine, actually, although it already seemed to be a bit… Damaged.

She opened to the first page, only to find that it had been torn out, as had most other pages that followed it. There were only one or two, and it was less.. Images, and more _feelings_. Looking at the pages didn’t read visually the way it should, all it had dragged along was a sense of fear and despair. Blurry vision, hiding, the brief reprieve... Hopelessness.

Hat Kid slammed the book shut. She leaned against the side of the shelf, sliding down into a seated position and setting the book to one side, finally catching onto her own quickened breaths and the cold feeling that had come to greet her. It took a long while to calm down, deep breaths did relatively little to stabilize her, but it was the best she could work with.

Eventually, she was feeling moderately better. It could be worse, after all. She could be dealing with whatever had been causing those feelings. 

Thinking about it a bit more helped as well. She had a general guess to the cause- she’d rarely felt something like that before in her lifetime, save for the Manor. If only she knew why she’d been there.

The shelves didn’t move, but the book did buzz slightly from beside her, although opening it didn’t reveal anything new. It seemed like she wouldn’t be getting any more information for now, so instead she took to wandering with the black book, hoping to find something of a bit more use than the empty thing.

* * *

It felt like she was wandering for hours, but inevitably she found something of interest in the overly organized landscape: a single page that was crumpled up on the floor, seeming to fit the general aesthetic of the book she was holding. She crouched down, uncrumpling the page and looking it over.

It wasn’t very long, just entering the manor in the first place and the eerie silence of it all. It didn’t really answer her overarching question, but it was something. She slid the page back into the book, letting out a squeak of surprise as it snapped into place, the book briefly glowing.

She tilted her head to one side, before nodding, a little determined look on her face as she set off in search of more pages. 

It was almost like following a trail, finding the pages scattered about. Some were ripped up, but repaired when the book was close enough, others were just stuffed in odd places. The contents were… Worrying, although she hadn’t found the final few pages, especially not the ones for the end. The book was looking pretty repaired regardless, and that made her just a little happier.

Her merry thoughts were, however, interrupted by the shuffle of something else nearby. Hat Kid’s tail flicked back and forth anxiously as she made her way towards the source. This was her mind, after all, right? Who else would be here?

She peeked around one shelf, finding no one and continuing onwards silently. The shuffling had briefly stopped before resuming, shelves lowering into the ground, followed by the soft humming coming from someone else.

She continued in the direction of the noise, peeking around another shelf and finding… Someone she hadn’t recognized in the slightest.

Hat Kid had found herself looking at some other lady. She was fairly tall, with long blonde hair that seemed to shimmer ever so slightly. A crown rested atop her head, although it was hard to see her face from where she was. Her dress was familiar though, and she briefly wondered why it was so…

The shelf Hat Kid was hiding behind creaked, shifting upwards out of the floor and knocking her over, a little purple and green book popping out.

The blonde lady glanced over, a little familiar feeling of dread settling in Hat Kid’s heart as the woman’s green eyes seemed to bore into her soul. She scrambled to back off, though she found herself unable to stand in her nervousness.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” Spoke the lady, her voice soft and feathery as she approached. The lady crouched, offering Hat Kid a hand.

Hat Kid paused, the feeling of dread had persisted, but it was… Tamer. She stared at the offered hand, quietly nodding as she took it.

The lady smiled, pulling her into a standing position. “I’m happy you’re alright. You seem to be quite lost. Is there something you’re looking for?” She asked, crouching down to eye level.

Hat Kid paused, holding the book a little closer, just a tad uncertain. The lady seemed to understand though, regardless.

“Ah, that book’s torn up now, isn’t it? I’ll help you find the pages.” She spoke, standing up straight. She walked up to a stack of books, grabbing one page from between the stack and offering it to Hat Kid.

Hat Kid squinted, cautiously approaching to accept the page.

The lady responded with a little smile, catching onto Hat Kid’s demeanor, “I can sense these kinds of things, you know? I organize this headspace after all.”

That made… A bit more sense. Hat Kid smiled returning the page to its rightful space in the book.

The lady offered her hand to Hat Kid, to lead the way, and she accepted it.

* * *

The two walked for a good while, picking up pages here and there. It was rather silent, save for the ladies humming, or the creaking of shelves as they shifted to allow access to other books or pages.

Hat Kid was pretty content with it all. The lady seemed nice enough, and the book was pretty filled, saved for the last 3 pages. She really needed to figure out what happened, after all.

She made a note to thank... The lady. Hmm. She didn’t really have a name for the woman now, did she? Hat Kid tugged on the ladies' hand.

The woman stopped, looking back to her with a soft, concerned look in her eyes, “Is something wrong?” She asked, voice still just as sweet.

Hat Kid paused before shaking her head, speaking up in her usual voice, barely a whisper in comparison to the taller girl, _“What’s your name…?”_

“Oh, did I never tell you? How silly of me, you can call me ‘Nessie’.” She beamed.

Hat Kid smiled back with a nod, _“You already know my name…?”_

“Of course, it’s practically everywhere in this headspace, you know! This place is all about you and your life.” Nessie gave Hat Kid’s hair a little ruffle, earning a chuckle from the little girl.

Hat Kid batted at Nessie’s hand, fixing her hair back the way she liked it with a little “bleh!”

They kept walking like this, up until Nessie had stopped. Hat Kid frowned, briefly wondering why before she took note of the landscape ahead. Inky black, like when she’d first woken up. She could see them though, the pages, just a little bit of way. She glanced back up to Nessie.

“I can’t leave this area. You’ll have to get them yourself, ok?” Nessie crouched down, pointing to the pages in question.

Hat Kid nodded, letting go of Nessie’s hand and taking the first step off the wooden floor. She didn’t float downward, a little ‘clink’ ringing out. The floor stable, she stepped out further, approaching the last few pages. She grabbed up one, ignoring the contents of the page as she went to grab the other.

A feeling of dread settled in her gut once more, stronger than ever, as she took hold of it.

If she’d noticed it a moment earlier, she may have avoided the inky black shackle that snapped around her wrist as she took hold of the page. She shrieked in alarm, pulling away only to feel the pull back from the chains, throwing her off balance and to the floor. Her head slammed into the ground, and it took her a moment to recover, working to get up. Her eyes darting around, before finally settling on Nessie. A call for help bubbled up in her throat, but it was promptly disrupted by the blonde stepping out into the blackened landscape, despite what she’d said before.

Hat Kid’s heart dropped, and she reached out her free hand to the book, for any little source of defense. Another shackle clasped around her free hand, preventing her from doing so in the first place.

In a little show of bravery, she forced herself to stand, trying to blink growing tears from her eyes as ‘Nessie’ drew closer. She forced herself to speak, despite the worry and fear. _“L-Let me go…!”_

‘Nessie’ smiled, crouching down in front of the girl, picking up the book and its final pages before setting it down closer, “Let you go, you say? Why, I can’t do that right now.”

Hat Kid opened her mouth to ask why, though Nessie continued speaking regardless, “I need your body right now. I have tasks to complete, I don’t think a little one like you could comprehend it.”

A pause, then Hat Kid shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows. She attempted to stand taller, but was promptly pulled back into a hunched position by her binds, _“What are you even doing?”_

‘Nessie’ chuckled, getting up and beginning to walk back towards the library, “Winning a war, kid.”

The blonde woman set one foot back onto the wooden flooring, and it all disappeared right in front of Hat Kid’s eyes, leaving her in the inky black landscape with nothing but the book she’d brought.

Vanessa woke up relatively well-rested the next morning. The old specter had long since left, and she was grateful for that. She dug through the wardrobe, a vague idea of what she was looking for… Ah, there it was, the hint of green in the far back. Her dress, or a replica of it, oh how beautiful it was. She took it out, merrily taking the time to change into it, before setting to work. She had a lot to do today, after all.


	4. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discovery is made and thoughts are had.

It turns out that the deep, empty blankness was rather boring. Especially so when your reach was so restricted. Thus Hat Kid was left sitting there, with little to nothing to do as time went on- or did it? It was kind of hard to tell, there weren’t any little indicators, after all.

Some time had to have passed though, didn’t it? She’d taken the time to look through her little memory book, and even though it was basically all pictures and weird inside feelings, it didn’t seem correct to have done it and made no chronological progress. 

The gentle jingle of the chains falling against themselves as she collapsed into her butt did her no favors either. More of an uncomfortable reminder than anything else. She huffed, trying to figure out anything else she could do in this circumstance. She’s gotten out of big problems just like this before, hadn’t she! There had to be something…

And yet, there wasn’t. She would try again and again to free herself, with no results. No matter how much she raised her voice or pulled against the chains that kept her there, the void around her offered no response.

It would be like this for hours. Hat Kid found resting had disappeared as an option for momentary escape, leaving her with just her thoughts, and a pervasive worry about what could happen. What if she never got out of here? What if no one else noticed? What if Nessie just went and destroyed her whole life? What if she got out, and everybody hated her?

She hadn’t noticed from the get-go, but she was _crying_. It started as little tears, slowly building up until she was flat out sobbing. The little brunette had taken to curling up rather quickly, and tears would inevitably stain her clothing. So much could go wrong, she should’ve just left the book, remembering what happened seemed much less important now. She’d cry until her voice felt hoarse, eyes sore and chest heavy. Nothing was going to fix this... She’d never make it out of here or see her friends again herself, would she? 

The void, unlike on its many other occasions, did respond. A gentle glow appeared directly to her right, though only just barely noticed in her growing panic. She looked up, just the smallest bit, to the light, before she nearly tumbled onto her back in surprise.

A screen had appeared within the inky blackness too far away for her to approach, but the contents were clear enough. For a moment, she’d thought it was simply an image of her washroom, up until it moved. A memory, maybe? But she was barely ever in there…

Hat Kid wiped her eyes, sniffling a bit, the screen far more welcome of a distraction than initially thought. She observed as her view of the room shifted, as her presumed memory-self traversed it, grabbing a variety of clothes cleaning products, pouring them into the washing machine before tossing a dress in… What?

She knew that dress, the one Snatcher had given her that she’d always found all too frilly and annoying to wear under any circumstance, with the only bonus being that it was incredibly warm. She’d quickly discarded it in her closet, letting it gain a hefty layer of dust- though, looking at it now, it reminded her of the lady who’d trapped her here, Queen Vanessa. Almost an exact replica of the one she’d worn…

After a moment it clicked. This wasn’t a memory now, was it? This was what Vanessa was doing, at the current moment in time, using _her_ body. 

Then, there was a question that Hat Kid quickly deduced as important. _How_ did Snatcher know of the dress? Sure, she knew Vanessa lived in Subcon, but she doubted she’d be someone Snatcher of all people would interact with, especially so much that he’d know the intricacies of a dress that seemed at least moderately important to the Queen…

Her train of thought was interrupted, as the screen turned, a mirror approached as hands approached. A smug look crossed the kid's face as she watched her external self. She’d been crying, a lot, eyes bloodshot outside of her own head, although the red eyes were a bit concerning, it wasn’t for long. It was a little bit of hope, someone would note the color change at some point.

Hat Kid observed as Vanessa washed ‘her’ face, nodding to herself. The kid could be a pain, she was sure of it- Snatcher said so often enough- and a plan was already forming. Surely only good things would come out of it all, annoying Vanessa. If anything, it was something to do.

* * *

Vanessa was… Moderately annoyed. She’d found her lovely dress replica, though it was covered in dust, and she definitely couldn’t wear it at the moment in time in that state. Thus, she’d taken to scouring the ship for some sort of washroom, which had taken her upwards of 30 minutes. How big was this place? And why was it so annoying to traverse? She counted herself lucky when she’d stumbled upon the little transporter to the room, one that she didn’t have to use any specific ability to get to.

Having found the room, she’d rushed back for the dress, taking it off the hanger, before her other problem presented itself. It took her a moment to recognize, but she was _crying_ of all things. Why? She wasn’t feeling upset, she was actually rather euphoric, taking the situation into account. She had her plans, did some research, dealt with her major, expectable problem, and thus everything had to be alright, right?

She attributed it to some alien kid thing, hoping it would go away on its own, but as she set to washing the clothes, it had only become worse. Her eyes had started to sting ever so slightly, though the crying had stopped, and it likely wouldn’t help when she’d rubbed them with the hands that had just been all the soap and dust covering the dress.

With a sigh, Vanessa turned to the sink in the room, annoyed look as she observed the mirror and with bloodshot eyes. She frowned, turning on the water and beginning to splash it against her face. She had a way she wanted to look, after all, and she wouldn’t allow some crying to ruin her presentation.

It took a bit, but soon enough her face was clear, mostly, and her eyes weren’t stinging as much.

Her hair tail- the little additional appendage that came with the body she’d taken- was swinging back and forth, which she supposed indicated anticipation, but it’d also dawned on her that she, disappointingly, couldn’t let down the hair. She’d have to figure out some alternative later on, once she’d ensured everything was all clear for her.

She chose to sit by the washing, intending to wait until it was done to hang up the dress, but found herself a tad impatient, peeking in every few moments to ensure it wouldn’t be ruined. 

Inevitably, her stomach grumbled. Ah… Food. She’d completely forgotten about that, it had stopped being a necessity a long while ago for her, but she supposed she’d need it to keep the stolen form kicking.

Vanessa stood up, entering the transporter before making her way around the ship once again, inevitably landing herself in the kitchen after a bit of looking. 

She was rather surprised, seeing the short cat with a chef’s hat at the stove in the corner, humming a little tune as she cooked. She hadn’t paid them any mind in memories… The kid was quiet though, wasn’t she? Vanessa could handle this just fine, no need to be worried about blowing her cover.

The cat in question, Cooking Cat, had barely glanced over before offering a smile, “Mornin’ kid!” She called over, enthusiastic as ever. “I’m guessin’ your hungry, breakfast will be done in a sec, ya wanna watch?”

Oh. A question. Vanessa shook her head, going to sit on one of the stools, observing the little microwave curiously. About 10 minutes later, a plate of food- pancakes, eggs, bacon, the whole nine yards- was set down in front of her, and she’d set to eating, with the manners that she just barely recalled from her lessons on proper eating.

Vanessa did not note the quizzical look from Cooking Cat, who studied her carefully before leaving the kitchen to do who knows what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a little break, but now I'm back!  
> I made a minor update to Chapter 1 to give a little bit more space with other characters, and our cat friend is here!
> 
> If you have any questions or such, I have a Tumblr! https://backwaterotter.tumblr.com/
> 
> Tossing this here as well, we got a very beautiful animatic of Not My Seed for this AU by WinterPower98, which you can check out here!
> 
> Next Chapter, I'll likely toss all the fanart that I have received into the starting or end note! See you all soon!


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